The Tendrils of Darkness
by Kitanga
Summary: The Turaga have defeated many enemies in their time as Toa, most of which would jump at the chance for revenge. Now, thanks to the Shadowed One, the Morbuzahk finally has its desire... Set after Mask of Light. Updated!
1. Prologue: Resurrection

**The Tendrils of Darkness**

By Kitanga

Disclaimer: Four words: I don't own Bionicle.

Author's Note: Hi all! I'm back, and I've completely restarted my story _Roots of Evil_, now _The Tendrils of Darkness_. If the title doesn't fit, don't blame me, since I'm not very original with titles. If you happen to come up with an astounding title, please tell me so, and I shall ponder over it. Thank you, and enjoy!

* * *

**Prologue: Resurrection**

A shadow drifted across the damp, grimy floor swiftly, twisting gracefully around several stone pillars, most of which were cracked and ready to fall to pieces. The gloomy cavern seemed alive…yet dead for centuries. No light penetrated the darkness. No happiness reached its bowels. Only centuries of gathered darkness and despair dwelled within the walls.

And now, evil had once again returned to it.

"_I was all-powerful…"_

The voice drifted up into the silent air, the gravelly tone seeming to fit in easily with its surroundings.

"…_I was the Ruler of Shadows…"_

Shadows swirled around a half-standing, half-collapsed pillar, and out of the swirling vortex glided a hulking figure, moving swiftly, yet he seemed to be taking his time.

"_I had everything I wanted, needed…and now, I have nothing…"_

He continued on, walking forward determinedly towards a pile of rubble. He stopped a few feet away, and a clawed hand rose slowly to touch a large stone…and suddenly, all the rubble disappeared.

Not without commotion, though, for it had all been blasted away, every single stone, down to the very last pebble vaporized. The enormous figure ploughed on, each footstep muted, yet the steady _clomp…clomp…clomp_ of each footfall was heard in time with the steady vibration in the ground.

"_I am weak, now…but I will soon rise to power again, as I did years ago…"_

He moved on, never stopping, never faltering. Heading straight for a pool of gleaming silver liquid, he stopped only an inch from the edge and stretched his arm out as far as it could go…and he opened the fist.

A single miniscule seed fell, tumbling end over end until with a soft _plop_, it hit the liquid and slowly sank, leaving no trace of its existence. The being remained motionless for a while longer, then he abruptly turned and walked to the centre of the cavern, between six pillars filled with green substance, to the end of the pillars, and sat.

Red eyes blinked slowly, dwelling upon the glistening silver liquid before closing completely.

"_I shall need a strong servant…powerful, yet obedient…starting as a small seed, as insignificant as you look, you shall soon grow into one the most feared creations of death. And when you do…"_

The eyes snapped open, two bright red pin-pricks of light.

"Toa of Light, I will have my _revenge_!"

* * *

The first sign of disturbance was the rumble. 

Gali Nuva was jolted back into reality from her relaxing meditation by a sudden shudder rippling through the earth. Concerned orange eyes snapped open, darting around quickly by force of habit. She waited, ready to spring up at any moment, hands ready to withdraw her axes.

Nothing.

Gali stood up warily, and observed her surroundings carefully for a few more minutes, but nothing else happened. She sighed, and her tense shoulders sagged. The blue Toa suddenly felt exhausted and sank back down onto the hard ground. She ran a hand over her gleaming mask tiredly, feeling older than the earth.

Weeks had passed since the discovery of the Toa of Light, the downfall of Makuta, and, more importantly, the awakening of Mata Nui, the Great Spirit. But much had changed as well, for better as well as worse.

Firstly, the Turaga had dropped a bombshell on them, revealing to the six – no, _seven_ Toa Nuva that they themselves had once been Toa, on an island called Metru Nui, where the matoran had come from as well. The Toa Nuva of Water could remember her brothers' initial reactions well, as well as her own, but it didn't shock her as much.

For one thing, she could still remember quite clearly the carving in the rock under the sea, more specifically, in a hungry-rahi infested cave. A carving of six Toa she had never seen before, but now she was certain that they were what the Turaga had once been.

Still, the news was quite a surprise to her, more so to her brothers.

"_What?!" A shocked Lewa Nuva was actually standing still, and gaping at the six Turaga. "You speak-mean to talk-say that you were Toa-heroes?!"_

_Turaga Vakama chuckled dryly. "Yes, Toa Lewa, I do mean it that way. We were protectors of an island…the City of Legends, Metru Nui."_

"_Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," her Stone brother Pohatu was shaking his head disbelievingly. "Are you for real? Or this some kinda joke?"_

"_What is so hard for you to comprehend?" Turaga Onewa spoke now, looking up at the brown Toa. "We were Toa. On an island called Metru Nui. And we protected the matoran!"_

"_As good-best as we could," Matau muttered between himself and Nokama. The Turaga of Ga-Koro shushed him, forlorn eyes looking out from beneath her mask. The Toa didn't notice their small exchange, nor did the other Turaga, and so Vakama went on, leaning on his staff._

"_During our time as Toa, unlike yours, we…were branded as criminals, not heroes…" Vakama sighed deeply, his gaze drifting to the window sadly. "...branded as the impostors responsible for the disappearance of Toa Lhikan…"_

_The stunned silence that followed beat down on the room's occupants' ears. Then…_

"_Okay, **now** you're joking, right?"_

Gali chuckled quietly to herself, shaking her head. She came here, to the Kini Nui much more often, now, as there were hardly any more threats to defend the villages from, with most, if not all, rahi freed from their infected masks, the bohrok nearly wiped out, and the Makuta destroyed. She sighed.

Then her head snapped back up again, hearing a scraping sound, somewhere beneath the earth. She rose slowly, quietly, and drew her axes, ready for combat. The scraping noise grew louder, until it seemed like it was only a few metres away. She tensed when the earth just in front of her suddenly shifted slightly, as if someone or something was trying to force their way up.

Gali took a few cautious steps back, and was just considering whether to strike or to wait when the earth exploded in her face. She immediately fell into a defensive stance, even as dirt rained down on her, and it was then that she saw who her presumed assailant was.

Onua, her brother and Toa Nuva of Earth.

"Onua!" Gali exclaimed in surprise.

The Earth Toa looked equally as surprised, his lime green eyes blinking in the harsh sunlight. He placed his quake-breakers behind his back, and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. His surprised expression quickly slid off his face, replaced by a small smile.

"Greetings, sister Gali," he bowed his head slightly.

"Onua," Gali replied with a smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again. What brings you here?"

Onua shrugged slightly, and brushed some dirt off of his broad shoulders. "Turaga Whenua asked me to call a meeting here, at the Kini Nui with the other Turaga and Toa. I stopped in at your village but Turaga Nokama said you had gone out. I headed off for Ko-Koro when…" he faltered, something Gali had never seen him do. She cocked her head curiously, and questioned him softly, frowning slightly.

"When what, Onua?"

"…when I felt a disturbance not far from where we stand now." He finished simply. Gali's eyes widened.

"You felt it too?" she asked in an excited, hushed voice, even though there was no-one else to be seen for kios around. He was taken-aback for a moment, and then nodded. She frowned.

"I had thought it was my imagination, but now…"

Onua nodded. "Unless we're both imagining things, something _did_ happen."

"And they're usually never good things." Gali finished gravely. They stood in silence for a while; pondering the rumble they had both felt. Then the Water Toa shook her head.

"We'd better ask the Turaga about it, after the meeting. Who've you left to tell, brother?"

"I've told Pohatu, Turaga Nokama, and was just heading for our icy friend, when I stopped here." Onua replied. He was still troubled by the disturbance in the earth he'd felt, but pushed it to the back of his mind. Gali nodded, thinking things over.

"I'll spread the word to Ta-Koro and Le-Koro, and we'll meet back here."

"A sound plan," Onua nodded his approval and smiled. "Farewell for now, sister Gali. Take care." And he disappeared, a hole suddenly having appeared in the ground. Gali blinked.

"…farewell," she said, and smiled. She had forgotten how fast Onua could dig, especially with his quake-breakers. She turned and followed the well-worn path to Ta-Koro, no longer as exhausted as she had been when she had arrived at the Great Temple.

Being re-united with her fellow Toa, if only one, had lifted her spirits, and she walked all the way to the fiery village with a little spring in her step, unaware that deep beneath the earth, something terrible was growing, bigger and bigger with every passing moment. Unaware that the Shadowed One had merely been weakened by their last encounter, not destroyed, and was planning his revenge.

* * *

Kopaka Nuva skied down the slope effortlessly, cold blue eyes calculating every turn, every change. He spotted a snow-covered rock barely two bios away, and leaped over it after a split-second decision. He landed in a slightly crouched position, and skidded to a stop several bios away. He looked back up the mountain, and saw that time had flown by. 

The sun was nearly setting, and the Toa of Ice realised that he had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't realised that he'd been out for over an hour. He cursed himself for being so distracted, and set off for his village at a brisk pace, although he soon found himself walking subconsciously and delving deeper into his own thoughts.

After defeating Makuta and waking the Great Spirit, the Toa Nuva had found themselves facing shocking revelations. For instance, the Turaga's pasts. During that specific conversation, Kopaka hadn't said three words, but he had been equally as shocked as the other Toa. It was then that his thoughts took an unexpected turn.

_I wonder what the other Toa are doing now?_

He abruptly realised what he was thinking and his stomach lurched.

_Why am I thinking about **them**? Why would I care? I never needed **or** wanted to know of their daily life!_

But the fact was still there. He _did_ miss his fellow Toa. He _did_ want to know more about them.

Before he could delve further into his thoughts, though, an unusual sound reached his ears. He stopped dead, listening attentively. The cool breeze whistled softly, and there were a few rahi cries overhead, but that – and his steady breathing – were the only sounds that reached his ears. He frowned inwardly, and brushed it off as a trick of his sleep-deprived brain.

He started walking again, the powdery snow crunching softly beneath his feet, and had barely gone two bios when he heard it again: a hissing sound. He stopped again, and held his breath, waiting…

There. It was very faint, and muted, but it seemed to be coming from…beneath him. Beneath the snow and rocks. He stepped back, and activated his Kanohi Mask of X-Ray Vision, tightening his grips on his shield and ice blades.

His view changed, from pristine white snow to several different minerals of rock, and beneath that, more minerals, a cluster of bones from a Muaka cub, and finally…

A tunnel.

He frowned. It was small, about the same approximate size of a Matoran, and very, very deep. What was more intriguing about the tunnel was that it appeared to have only been recently dug, maybe only two, three hours ago. He ran calculations through his mind, and dismissed it as the work of a burrowing rahi.

Kopaka stood still for a moment longer, before turning and continuing on his way, back to his own village. Normally, with Ko-Koro in shambles, he wouldn't have torn himself away from the village, partially because of his want to protect the village, but more-so that he wanted to help rebuild his home. In every spare moment of his time, he would be at Ko-Koro, repairing collapsed huts, or rebuilding the fortress walls around the village.

However, Turaga Nuju had had different ideas.

The elderly Turaga had obstinately insisted that he had done more than enough for the village, and also that he relax, practically pushing him out of Ko-Koro with his ice pick.

"_Turaga…"_

_The elderly Turaga whistled and clicked, waving his hand around for emphasis._

"_Turaga Nuju says 'you have done more than enough, and you should take some time for yourself. The village will be safe, and you are exhausted.'" Matoro translated obediently, standing behind Nuju. He paused as the village leader continued, waiting for him to finish before speaking up again._

"'_Don't argue, Toa, this is what you need; rest and relaxation. You haven't had a full night of sleep since your triumph over Makuta.'"_

Kopaka scowled inwardly. Not _their_ triumph; it had been _Takanuva's_ triumph. He was glad that Makuta had been defeated, and he respected the Chronicler's help, but the way he had brushed away _their_ help, as if they were inferior and of no use, irritated him. It was like as if Turaga Nuju replaced him without warning, saying that he was getting old.

Kopaka scoffed inwardly. _As if, _he thought. All of a sudden, he saw the village right in front of him. He picked up his pace immediately, marching briskly over the ice bridge, the ice crystals crunching softly beneath his feet. He waited for the sentry to open the gates before continuing on his way, threading through the throng of matoran bustling around, carrying building materials.

To his left, a few matoran were having an intense game of Kolhii, with a small crowd surrounding the players. He glanced around carefully, alert for danger, heading for his hut. A matoran fixing a hole in the roof of a hut waved to him enthusiastically, receiving a curt nod in response. Kopaka suddenly felt drained, and decided on a short nap, setting his sights on his hut.

Kopaka had just reached his hut when there was a shout behind him.

"Toa Kopaka! Toa Kopaka!" He turned to see Matoro running over to him, clutching a Kolhii stick. The matoran skidded to a stop and bowed respectfully before speaking breathlessly, "Turaga Nuju…said to tell you…that there is a…meeting with the other Toa and…Turaga…" He wheezed, leaning on his Kolhii stick for support. Kopaka felt unease at the prospect of leaving his village alone wash over him, but he ignored it.

Kopaka nodded, and then turned. "Tell Turaga Nuju that we'll be heading out soon," he replied, all previous thoughts on rest pushed away. _Duty first,_ he stubbornly told himself.

Matoro frowned, replying, "But Turaga Nuju has all ready left with Toa Onua, who brought the message." Kopaka paused, then turned back, looking intently at Matoro with his cold blue eyes. Matoro shifted uneasily under the Toa's gaze, his breathing somewhat laboured. After a tense pause, Kopaka looked away and spoke.

"All right then. You're in charge until we get back, Matoro, make sure all the matoran are accounted for, and put everyone on maximum alert for danger. Make sure all entrances are locked down and place guards in every tower. Most importantly, _do not let anyone besides myself and the Turaga back in_. Understood?"

Matoro nodded. "Yes, Toa Kopaka." He hesitated, before he questioned, "May I ask as to why we need all those security, Toa?"

Kopaka stayed silent, before turning the matoran around by the mask, "Safety precautions, Matoro, nothing else."

As the matoran ran back, shouting orders aloud, Kopaka strode for the gates. His orders had not been safety precautions, but in fact were based on his terrible gut feeling. Something was going to happen soon, he knew. And it wasn't going to be good.

_But why am I listening to a hunch? _He passed the gates, ignoring the matoran bustling about. _Am I turning into Lewa? Or Pohatu, listening to feelings and hunches?_ He shook his head, brushing away all thoughts. _No, what I did was for the safety of my village._

As this thought passed through his mind, he didn't notice a dark-coloured root twitch and vanish back into the snow behind him. There was a soft hissing beneath him, but the Toa didn't hear it, as he was concentrating on where he was going and not collapsing. It twisted through a series of complex tunnels, travelling faster than any known rahi, following the unsuspecting Toa Nuva of Ice. It stopped at an entrance to the surface, waiting patiently. Soon, a foot came down right next to it, and its intended victim walked by.

The Toa passed, and the predator waited for a second, before it reared up behind the white being, towering above the prey. The sun had set, but the powerful light of the full moon cast the shadow outline of it across the ground, which the Toa saw and took in immediately, whipping around with his shield and blades ready, eyes widening in shock at the massive, black, brown and dark green root, processing what he was seeing, but he was too slow, and the predator lashed out.

Its prey fell, soundlessly, limply, collapsing onto the snow.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, how was that? Bad? Good? Fantastic? Lame? Let me know what you think, by clicking on that little blue button on the bottom left-hand of this page. Thank you! 

P.S. Yes, I realise this is rather long for a prologue...


	2. 1: Arousing Suspicions

**The Tendrils of Darkness**

Author's Note: Here's the next installment! I'll try my best to update this weekly, but it all depends on motivation…which depends on reviews…which depends on reviewers and readers. Anyway, continue!

_**dark raven0**__: Thanks for your kind review! Yeah, this one took a while…and you made me blush…and smile! Have a cookie for being the first reviewer!_

_**Goldenrod**__: Hehehe…yes, it is nice, isn't it? Aww, thanks, and this is rather late, isn't it? Sorry 'bout that. Congrats on being the second reviewer! Have a cookie!_

_**shadow dragon04**__: Thanks for your review! Is it really that good? You really made me want to update faster, thanks! (Cookie for you too)_

_**Shadowed ice**__: Thanks, mate! Heh, yeah, this took quite awhile, so sorry you had to wait for so long. Here's a cookie for you as well!_

Disclaimer: Note to self: take over LEGO Corporation and claim rights to BIONICLE! …Ahem, I don't own Bionicle…yet.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Arousing Suspicions**

Gali swam through the river, taking her usual path to Ta-Koro. Small fish and other assorted sea creatures darted out of her way, swimming in jerky movements. She smiled, but didn't pause.

_Do not fear, little ones, I will not harm you._ She always felt peaceful back in her chosen element, as did the others, but the water had a natural ability to calm and lull many creatures into its current.

_Unlike fire,_ the thought crossed her mind suddenly, and her mood darkened slightly. _Fire is arrogant. And what better Toa to represent the blinding arrogance of fire than Tahu Nuva himself?_

She knew that she shouldn't be having those thoughts. It wasn't like her at all. However, an argument with their leader had left an uneasy rift between the Fire and the Water Toa, and they hadn't spoken in many days.

_Why did I offer to tell him, then?_ She wondered. _Why?_ She felt the temperature in the water rise, and surfaced, wading slowly to the river bank, where the earth was warmer. She set off briskly, all the while trying to comprehend why she wanted to see Tahu after all his insults towards water…and her.

"_Brother!" Gali called out cheerfully, waving one of her aqua axes in a quick greeting. "Come join us!" She diverted all her attention back to her duel, bringing her weapons together to block __another of Pohatu's powerful blows before flipping nimbly over his head, drawing her axes across from opposite directions, halting her blow only inches from the Stone Toa's neck._

"_Point and spar-match to water-sister!" Lewa laughed, hanging upside down from a tree branch. He grinned cheekily, and threw an acorn at Kopaka, who was pointedly sitting away from them with his back turned. The energetic Air Toa merely plastered his patent "innocent little-matoran Hapaka-eyes how-can-you-resist?" face on as the nut bounced off of the back of the Ice Toa's head, but still received an irritated glare in return._

_Onua chuckled, sitting on the wet grass against an old tree underneath the shade of the drooping branches. He smiled contentedly, watching his brothers and sister. He called out to Pohatu teasingly, "Come on, brother, I've seen you bring down a whole tree once, surely you can do better!"_

_The Stone Toa merely laughed, and spun around on Gali, who shrieked in surprise as he grabbed her, throwing her over his broad shoulder while marching over to a large puddle of mud. She looked at him in apprehension._

"_You wouldn't dare –" She was cut off mid-sentence when he grinned and mock-slammed her gently down, sending droplets of mud everywhere as he shouted out a gleeful, "I certainly would!" laughing as she tried and failed miserably to glare at him. She started laughing hysterically when he tickled her sides._

_She splashed mud everywhere, mostly hitting Pohatu, and he soon gave up tickling and splashed mud back at her, his laugh turning into a yelp as a glob of mud hit him on the side of his head. He turned to see Lewa with his own armful of mud, a grin on his mud-splattered face. He threw another handful, which sailed over Pohatu's ducked head to hit Gali on the shoulder, spraying across her face as well._

_She laughed good-naturedly, but then looked at her Stone brother and extended a mud-covered fist. _

"_Truce?"_

_Pohatu grinned and clanked his own muddy fist against hers. "Truce. Let's get 'im!" They scrambled to their feet shouting incoherent war-cries and dashed after the still laughing Lewa, who flung his whole armload behind him to run away, slipping and sliding across the muddy battlefield. He grinned and sprinted for the nearest tree._

_He never made it, for a brown streak dashed ahead of him and stopped in front, arms wide and feet planted firmly to the ground, grinning widely. The Air Toa yelped, and skidded on the muddy ground to try and turn. He slipped, though, and much to his surprise as well as Pohatu's, slid smoothly between the Stone Toa's legs and his eyes widened when he saw the tree trunk right in front of him._

_He banged into it, not hard enough to hurt too badly but he was certain that there would be a bruise in the morning. He looked up, just as a few acorns dropped onto him. He yelped in surprise as the others laughed, but joined in with them. Even Kopaka smiled, although only slightly._

_Only Tahu remained silent, sitting on a rock a fair distance away, but it was obvious he was fuming. His brothers and sister were fairly unaware of his rage, which only fueled his anger even more. He watched silently as Gali and Pohatu grabbed Lewa and dumped him gently into a large puddle of mud, who looked dazed before breaking out into a huge grin and bringing Gali down with him._

_She was still laughing though, and Lewa joined in, before his mask was hit with mud. Then she dragged Pohatu down, before they broke out into a full-fledged mud fight._

_Then Tahu stood up abruptly and shouted, "ENOUGH!"_

_All the Toa Nuva ceased activity. Five heads snapped in his direction, as if springs in their neck had suddenly released. None of them spoke, the only sound coming from Tahu's heavy breathing. Even the surrounding rahi were silenced. None of them, not one, had ever heard silence as heavy._

_Then, as if a spell had been broken, the rahi snapped out of their stupor and carried on with their business. Pohatu stood, and tentatively asked their leader, "What now?"_

_Tahu glared at him, as if insulted, but Pohatu didn't back down. The Fire Toa growled._

"_What is this foolishness?" He waved his arm towards the Toa of Stone, Air, and Water. "Is this what Toa do? Play around like half-rabid rahi? I call you here together for a training session, and __this__ is how you respond?!" He glared callously at the three mud-covered Toa, and Onua and Kopaka. They remained silent, surprised at their leader's outburst._

_Gali cleared her throat, catching his attention. "Tahu…we were just having fun…" she faltered, recoiling slightly from his fiery glare. His red fists were clenched, and starting to smoke. _

"_Of course," he nodded, but his voice was aflame with sarcasm. "It is understandable. Only too understandable that Water has no other useful qualities except for __**having fun**__ and __**playing**__ around!"_

_Gali sat there, stunned, as her brothers looked on in shock. Kopaka stood, for the first time speaking, his voice frosty and colder than any of them had ever heard before._

"_This, coming from the Toa of Ash who was turned against his own teammates by a Rahkshi." __Kopaka stood stock-still, not even shifting when Tahu's fists erupted into bright orange flames. The Toa Nuva of Fire was trembling in rage, and it was obvious he was holding back from drawing his magma swords and cleaving his rival into ice blocks._

_There was a tense silence, until Gali snapped out of her shock. "Please, Kopaka, Tahu, we don't have to fight!" She pleaded with them. The two rivals seemed to hesitate momentarily before hardening again._

"_Go clean yourselves off, and come back. We're training, until the Turaga and __**Toa Takanuva**__ arrives." With that, and a final glare at all the Toa Nuva, Tahu stalked off, the flames dancing around his hands dying down to flickering embers. Kopaka followed suit not long after, sitting down underneath a tree in the opposite direction to where their leader had gone._

_Gali stood, slowly, and walked off quietly to wash herself off. Lewa bounded after her, and Pohatu reluctantly followed. He hated water, but he knew that Gali would only sprinkle him lightly until he was clean. Still, he walked slowly and apprehensively, trailing after his sister and brother._

_Tahu gazed after them, feeling guilty and ashamed. He regretted his harsh words to Gali, especially since he was still indebted to her, from the time when she had saved him from Lerahk's poison. He felt the urge to run after her and apologize, but it passed quickly, consumed by the fiery flames of his anger._

'_Curse him,' he thought, 'curse him for ever coming to __**light**__.' He sat there, silently raging against his new rival over leadership of the Toa Nuva. 'Why?' he thought. 'Why would Turaga Vakama consider replacing __**my**__ position as leader with that…that…__**Kolhii-head**__?'_

_Soon, the sun was high above their heads, and Gali, Lewa and Pohatu returned, but then the subject of Tahu's anger arrived…_

* * *

Gali could feel the heat, all around her, in the air, stifling, overpowering…it was a wonder that the matoran of Ta-Koro could even stand it, let alone live in it 24-7. She walked on, though, dreading the unavoidable confrontation with Tahu. She gritted her teeth and with effort, raised a bubble-like shield of cool moisture, relieving her somewhat. 

Soon, the earth was almost baking hot, and she walked faster, seeing the fortressed village of Ta-Koro.

The matoran had done well; she had to admit, in repairing their once-sunken village. It was raised out of the lava with thick vines, thousands and thousands of thick, green vines that had been donated as a "Makuta is dead-gone, this is a celebration-party gift-present" by Lewa, as he had called it. On the bank of the lava, though, the matoran had set up camp while the construction went on.

Walking past the many matoran, most greeting her cheerfully, she wondered what would become of her and the other Toa. With Makuta gone, everything would return to peace, as everyone hoped. Then she spotted Turaga Vakama, the village elder, and ran the last few metres.

"Turaga Vakama!"

He turned, and his face broke into a warm smile. "Greetings, Toa Gali. What brings you to Ta-Koro?"

Skidding to a stop, she bowed before the Turaga in respect before straightening up, "Turaga Whenua has called a meeting tonight at the Kini Nui, for all the Turaga and Toa."

Gali thought she saw a flicker of surprise in his orange eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and he nodded, folding his hands on his staff.

"We'll be heading out shortly, Toa Gali. Thank you." He turned and made his was slowly over to his hut. Gali was torn between blurting out her question and leaving.

"Turaga Vakama, may I enquire as to Tahu's whereabouts?" She asked tentatively. The elder stopped, and turned slightly so that his profile was facing the Water Toa. His head was cocked to the side slightly, and Gali could see a small smile beneath his mask.

"Of course," he turned to face her fully, "he is at the Kolhii stadium, over-seeing construction." He made to turn, but added an, "as usual," before resting a hand on the doorknob. It twisted and he held the door ajar but didn't enter. Instead, he looked back at her again, a twinkle in his eyes.

"It takes a brave person to stand up for themselves, Toa or not, Gali." He pushed the door open. "But it takes an even braver person to apologize or forgive." He gave her one last smile, before entering his hut, calling back over his shoulder, "We'll see you at the Temple, Toa Gali."

The door swung shut with a soft _click_, and Gali blinked. It dawned upon her that Turaga Vakama was referring to her and Tahu's little…disagreement the other day. How he had known about it was what bewildered her. She shrugged slightly, brushing it off, and stored away the advice he had given her.

* * *

Takanuva rolled away as the fiery blade swished past his head, so close that he felt the heat radiating from it in waves. He settled back into a defensive crouch, gripping his staff tightly in both hands, the blade pointed at his opponent. They both waited motionlessly, each waiting for the other to move first, and both catching their breaths. 

How long had it been since they had begun dueling? It was hard to tell. Maybe hours and his muscles had been burning with exertion for a while now. The staff he had considered a powerful weapon now seemed like a heavy burden, and each swing took more effort than usual.

_Could be worse,_ he told himself grimly, tightening his grip when his adversary charged, lifting up his remaining sword for a downward strike. Takanuva dug his feet into the hard, dusty ground, and raised his staff in defense.

The two weapons met, clashing together in a shower of golden sparks. Takanuva struggled to hold himself steady, his arms starting to buckle under the strain. He had been unprepared for the ferocity of the strike, and had nearly been knocked off his feet. He focused his attention on keeping his opponent's weapon at bay, and only saw the foot coming at him at the very last second. He tried to twist away, but he was too late, and the foot connected with his shoulder painfully.

"_Oof_!" the kick sent him sprawling backwards, almost dropping his weapon, but managed to hold on as he hit the ground with a painful thud, winded. He gasped in air desperately, and barely managed to roll away in time from his opponent's sword.

He started to get up, but didn't have the opportunity as the sword sliced through the air again. Clutching his staff tightly, he countered by swinging his own weapon at his opponent's, and knocked the sword away, surprising them both. He had only managed to gather enough might to possible knock his adversary away, and yet the sword had flown out of his opponent's hand.

The other recovered faster and drew back a fist, aiming at Takanuva's head, ignoring the fatigued look on the Toa of Light's face.

"_Tahu_!"

The shout echoed loudly, and the Toa of Fire halted his attack, his fist less than a bio away from Takanuva's surprised face. They both knew who had spoken, though, before they even turned.

There, standing amongst the growing, whispering crowd of Ta-Matoran construction workers, was their fellow Toa Gali Nuva. She was staring at them in shock, but it soon melted into a glare.

"What on Mata Nui were you thinking?!" she cried, marching up to them, "One of you could've been seriously hurt!" She grasped Tahu's wrist and pulled it away from Takanuva's mask. The Toa of Fire wrenched his hand away, glaring back at her evenly.

"Well, it definitely wasn't going to be me," he half-retorted, half-boasted. The Water Toa felt her irritation spark, and clenched her own fists to refrain from hitting him. She inhaled deeply, and shooed the matoran away with an arm gesture.

"Tahu," she began calmly, "Were you and Takanuva having a spar, or a real fight?"

In return, she received a glare. "It's none of your business, _Gali_," he shot back at her scathingly. He turned his back on them and marched over to his swords, several bios away.

Takanuva shrugged apologetically at her, "What are you doing here, Toa Gali?"

Gali laughed, "You don't have to call me that anymore, Takanuva, you're a Toa as well, now." Out of the corner of her eye, Gali saw Tahu's red figure stiffen. "Well, there's a meeting at the Kini Nui, soon, and I'm helping Onua spread the message."

"I see," the Toa of Light nodded. "Who else do you need to tell?"

"Just Lewa, now. I need to go."

"All right," he held out a fist, which Gali clanked with hers. "We'll see you at the Temple, then."

* * *

Lewa Nuva was sitting on a tree branch, far higher than his village. He stared at the sunset, twirling a leaf around his fingers. His Air Katanas were strapped to his back, covered in dirt and its blade was encrusted with semi-dried mud. 

There was a rustle, and his hands went automatically to his Katanas, but froze when he saw who had climbed up beside him.

"Water-sister!"

"Lewa," Gali nodded, a smile gracing her face. They hugged briefly, before Gali settled down beside him.

"What brings you up-tree, sister?"

Gali laughed, "I could ask you the same," she grinned.

"Well, you first, sister Gali," he gestured for her to go on, his legs swinging back and forth.

"All right, all right. Well, there's a meeting at the Kini Nui tonight, for both the Turaga and Toa. I've spoken to Turaga Matau and asked him to tell you as well, but he said he hadn't seen you all day. So, I came to check if you hadn't died," she smiled. "Your turn."

"Well, I do not…" he sighed, his cheery mood evaporating into thin air. "Several days ago, I started mind-thinking that something bad-evil was happening. I visit-went to our sky-gazer, Tyrini, and he started mumble-speaking about protodermis, shadow, and evil plant-seed." He shook his head. "I'm not so sure of myself now," he continued forlornly. "I keep mind-thinking that I'm going mind-crazy, because I keep sleep-dream about a huge plant-vine and Makuta."

Gali blinked. She had never seen or heard Lewa look so sad or speak so seriously. She hesitantly put an arm around his sagged shoulders, saying:

"You're not crazy, Lewa. Maybe it's not just dreams, but actual visions. Maybe something is wrong."

They sat in silence, watching the sunset. After a while, Lewa gave a start and jerked upright.

"Water-sister! We're late for the gather-meeting!"

"Mata Nui! We'd better hurry!" Gali moved to climb down, but Lewa grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Why foot-walk, water-sister, when vine-swinging is much quick-faster!" He laughed, mirth returning to his eyes and leaped off the branch, grabbing a vine.

"Last one to the Kini-Nui is a bog snake, water-sister!"

* * *

Tahu scowled as he glanced up impatiently at the setting sun. He looked around, seeing Pohatu and Onua arguing quietly, Takanuva conversing with Turaga Vakama, and the rest of the village elders, gathered around the fire. 

"Gali and Lewa are late," he ground out. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Pohatu rolling his eyes, and thought he heard a sarcastic, "Ya think so?"

He clenched his hands, and forced down his rising temper. He glanced around again, and realised something unusual.

Kopaka wasn't present either.

He smirked. _He probably got lost in a blizzard, the big Popsicle._ He was definitely going to mock the Ice Toa about this later. He leaned against a wall, watching Vakama and Takanuva discuss something.

"…if you want…yes, that would be fine…"

"…not sure…do this…"

Tahu glared at the Toa of Light's back, thinking of a million ways he could kill the Kolhii-head at that moment. Maybe with that big spear of his…

At that precise moment, Lewa and Gali burst out of the trees, landing and shouting out simultaneously, "I won!"

"No, I did!"

"In your dreams, you green bean!"

"And in reality as well! Give it up, water-sister; you know I'm too dazzling for you!" Lewa struck a ridiculous pose, sending Pohatu, Gali, and even Onua into laughing fits. Takanuva glanced at them, and laughed as well.

"When you're all done, we'll start," Tahu said curtly, glaring at each of them in turn. They ceased laughing, although when they were gathered around the fire they were still snickering. The Fire Toa's irritation rose.

"And we'll discuss your tardiness later," he said firmly, glaring at Lewa and Gali. "No excuses," he added, as Lewa opened his mouth to protest. Said Toa shut his mouth immediately, his face glum.

Vakama cleared his throat. "Now that we are all present, we can begin discussing…" he paused, glancing around the gathering. As his eyes slid over each Toa, his gaze became troubled.

"Where is Toa Kopaka?"

* * *

Author's Note: Woo! Finished at last! Now, being a reader myself, I understand the frustration when a story I like is not updated regularly, and I have to agree that this took _WAY_ too long! Over two months in fact, and I am very sorry and ashamed. It has been a hectic 2nd term at school, and I live in the southern hemisphere, not in the north. The good news, however, is that my semester break is in one week's time. That means, hopefully, that I'll have more time to update. Luckily, though, things are slowing down in terms of schoolwork, so I should be able to get started this weekend. Until then, enjoy and _au revoir_ for now! 


	3. 2: Revelations

**The Tendrils of Darkness**

Author's Note: _WHY?!_ Doesn't anyone love me?! -sobs- Only _ONE_ review?! Why me?! _Why me?!_ Moving on, I'd like to congratulate, thank AND award _**Sylla Shadowfrost** _for reviewing. Heck, she/he was the _ONLY_ one that reviewed the second chapter. So well done, mate! Special prize for you!

Disclaimer: I'm getting mighty bored by doing this. Ah well. Bionicle is the property of LEGO. So there.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Revelations**

_He was running._

_How he ended up running he had no idea. Before he became aware of his feet pounding the cold, hard floor, carrying him away swiftly, there had been nothing but a blank space._

_Even as he screwed up his face in concentration, not a clue came to his mind. He gasped for air, feeling the cutting pain of a stitch in his side. How long had he been running?_

_He didn't know. _

_He was thinking more clearly now, and logic took over: why was he running?_

_He didn't know that, either. He slowed, and finally stopped, doubled over and panting for breath. Cold sweat trickled off his snow-white body like a thunderstorm. A few seconds ticked by and a sudden feeling of foreboding clouded his senses._

_He straightened, no longer weary, but alert, his blue eyes darting everywhere._

_The only words that could describe his surroundings were dark, cold, and extremely gut-wrenching._

_He shivered, and upon hearing a slight growl, immediately withdrew his lances and shield, poised to attack. His mask of X-ray vision was useless here, he realised, as the lens clicked and whirred but did not reveal what hid in the never-ending shadows._

_Then he saw it._

_A monstrosity beyond all monstrosities, it towered above him, les than a bio away, and the shadows hid its outlines, but what he could see was enough._

_He wasn't stupid._

_He turned tail and ran, not even breaking his stride to put his weaponry away, only one thought clouding and screaming at his mind._

_RUN! __RUN FASTER_

_No matter how fast he ran, pushed his pains away, lengthened his strides, the disfigured entity behind him only seemed to be getting closer, its slithering sounds and bellowing roars…_

_Or was that the roaring of his heart, crying out desperately for help?_

_Then a cold, alien, vine-like tentacle wrapped itself around his ankle and yanked him high into the air. He felt a stab of fear, and swung the blade of his lance at where he thought the tentacle to be._

_His lance sliced through something and he felt himself being splattered with what seemed suspiciously like blood, before an ear-shattering, heart-stopping roar echoed around him, rendering him slightly disoriented._

_He didn't feel anything when he fell to the cold, hard ground, and when he regained his senses, he realised that the monstrosity was going to smother him with all its weight…and his weapons had fallen out of his hands several bios away. He scrambled upright, but already a slimy appendage wrapped itself around him several times, preventing escape._

_He gasped for air as it tightened around him and more tentacles slid swiftly over his blood-splattered body. White spots appeared in his black vision and his lungs were aching painfully. He began thrashing about, his mouth open in a silent scream, his arms flailing desperately through the air. He felt his right hand connect with something hard and smooth but it did not draw his attention._

_A slow rumbling suddenly started, and he realised with a start that it was speaking._

"_You will… obey. I will turn you against your village… your friends… and even the Great Spirit…"_

_He was slowly losing consciousness, as the tentacles tightened their hold on him and deprived him of oxygen every passing second…_

"_What's wrong with him?"_

_His head snapped around, __looking desperately for help._

"_I don't know! Agh! Mata Nui, Pohatu! Keep him still!"_

_There was no-one plainly visible, yet the voices, though oddly muffled, resonated through his mind clearly. He opened his mouth to shout, but no words came out, only a weak, rasping noise._

"_I'm trying! Onua, give me hand!"_

_Onua…he knew Onua! He yelled for his Earth brother, but only a gasp came from his mouth. He felt his consciousness slipping away by the second, and soon, only panic remained._

"_Kopaka! KOPAKA! __**KOPAKA**__!"_

With a strangled yell, he was wrenched awake, and he was suddenly aware of a small hand gripping his shoulder tightly and another slapping his face repeatedly. Strong, muscular hands were restraining his arms and body down and what seemed like bodies were resting heavily on his legs. In addition to the bright light and several voices screaming and yelling, he gave a bellow and his eyes snapped open.

Immediately, everyone in the small ice hut froze; Gali, her hand mere inches away from his stinging cheek, Lewa and Takanuva staring back at him in astonishment from their positions in restraining his legs, Onua and Pohatu, their hands latched around his wrists and Tahu, standing in the background, clutching his jaw in both hands, beyond him a throng of frightened Ko-Matoran, staring at him from the doorway.

Nobody moved for several seconds, but then Kopaka broke the silence with a moan and fell back against the bed, his fellow Toa releasing their grips on him immediately. He ignored the feeling of everyone staring at him, his chest heaving as he gulped in air greedily, assuring himself that nothing was wrapped around him. His arms hung off the edge of the bed laxly, his fingertips grazing the ice floor.

For a moment, everyone simply stared at him, until Gali cleared her throat nervously and approached him. His eyes opened and focused on the slim Water Toa beside his bed.

"Kopaka," she began hesitantly, "what happened?"

* * *

Turaga Nuju sat motionlessly, his hands folded in his lap, his scrutinizing gaze resting unwaveringly on Toa Kopaka. The Toa in question was scowling at the Ko-Matoran healer and swatting away the healer's hand, who was frowning disapprovingly at Kopaka. The irate healer suddenly huffed and, after snapping his bag shut, stormed out of the door. Kopaka didn't so much as twitch at this, but Nuju noticed his tense shoulders relax visibly a fraction. 

Silence reigned for several long minutes.

The protector of Ko-Koro was perched on the edge of the bench, shoulders slumped and a hand rubbing his arm absently. Turaga Nuju didn't move, or give any indication that he had even noticed the healer leaving.

That morning, they had found the Ice Toa halfway up Mount Ihu, face down and out cold. The other Toa had not seen any other tracks in the snow but he had gone up himself and with his expert tracking, had found several slight depressions in the snow that indicated the Toa of Ice had rolled down the mountain.

His eyes focused on the Toa of Ice, who was gazing at the opposite wall. A slight frown had taken the place of the usually cold, neutral expression he wore. Turaga Nuju stayed silent, sensing and knowing from years of experience with the Toa that he would talk when he felt like it.

Outside the silent hut, shouts of the matoran echoed around the valley, drifting into the hut as well to reverberate inside the hut. But between the Turaga and the Toa, there was silence.

Then one of them broke the silence.

"Turaga Nuju."

The Toa spoke so suddenly that Nuju nearly dropped his ice pick. He regained his composure quickly and gazed evenly back at the Ice Toa. He waved a hand and whistled, encouraging him to continue.

"…do you know of…a creature with a massive body of tentacles?"

Nuju did not reply, although his eyes widened in shock and this time his pick did fall from his lax grip with a clatter. Kopaka stared, waiting. The Turaga scrutinized the Toa before him for several long minutes, before stooping to retrieve his ice pick and then pointed with one end at the bed, raising his hand to silence any protests that were on the tip of Kopaka's tongue.

He then hobbled his way out of the hut, stopping at the doorway for a moment to glare at the Ice Toa pointedly. Said Toa merely rolled his eyes.

"Stay here, rest, and don't move," he said, understanding his Turaga clearly.

Nuju nodded, and then disappeared out in the white village. Kopaka watched for awhile longer before slumping back down on his bed and closing his eyes. He rubbed his face wearily, feeling exhausted and a throbbing pain in the back of his head.

His breathing evened, his eyes fluttered ever-so-slowly closed, and he fell asleep, his white chest rising and falling rhythmically.

* * *

"No! It can't be!" 

"It's impossible!"

"We destroyed that monstrosity years ago!"

"SILENCE!"

The Turaga fell silent at once, gazing at Vakama, who was leaning heavily on his staff. His eyes were burning; with shock and disbelief, but also a new and powerful emotion none of them had seen in years. His orange eyes burned into each and every one of them, holding their gazes for a moment before flicking to the next village elder. Then the tense silence was broken at last.

"Arguing will not help us, especially if what Toa Kopaka has envisioned is true." He turned to the Turaga of Ko-Koro. "Nuju, please continue."

The Turaga straightened, as did his translator, Matoro.

"'As I was saying, Toa Kopaka does not remember his assailant in Ko-Wahi. However, he has related to me his dream, or worse… his vision'." Matoro stopped to listen for a moment, his Turaga whistling and clicking impossibly fast. The Turaga waited, listening intently.

"'In his vision, Kopaka says there was a creature unlike any he had seen before, with tentacle-like vines and with a dark aura surrounding it'." The Turaga shifted uneasily at this, but remained quiet.

"'And… he says it talked to him'."

* * *

"So… what are we doing?" 

"Our duties."

"Uh, yeah… "

Kopaka and Takanuva walked in silence for another lengthy minute or so, until Takanuva sighed.

"When I signed up for this, I thought it'd be more interesting," he grumbled, "especially as it's Toa-work."

Kopaka remained silent – as usual. He walked at a relatively slow pace, his masked head moving from side to side, his blue eyes darting from every pebble to a miniscule crack in the ground. The sun's harsh glare reflected off the white snow and Takanuva was certain that if he wasn't a Toa of Light, he'd be blinded and rolling around in agony already.

He glanced across at Kopaka, who didn't seem in the least perturbed by the blinding light. The former Chronicler guessed that it was because of his Akaku, which masked the Toa Nuva of Ice's stoic face.

They walked in silence for the rest of the morning, with only a few minor disturbances – which, to Takanuva, was disappointing. After his triumph over Makuta, everything else he did seemed to dwindle in comparison, although he still enjoyed every moment.

He glanced around again for what felt, and probably was, like the hundredth time.

_Well_, he thought dryly, _almost every moment_.

He puffed his cheeks and exhaled with a loud whoosh of air. In his peripheral vision, he saw Kopaka's eyes flicker in his direction for a brief moment, clearly annoyed. Bored, the Toa of Light held the point of his staff downwards and slightly underneath the surface of the snow. He looked down at the indentation his staff made in the snow as he walked, and so didn't notice Kopaka freeze suddenly.

"_Oof_!"

He stumbled back a few paces, and was in the act of raising his free hand to his face when a cold, white hand smacked his wrist sharply. Takanuva froze, and followed the motionless Ice Toa's gaze.

Several bios ahead, on a small rise of snow… there was a rock.

If the rock had been buried partly in the snow, Takanuva wouldn't have so much as given it a second glance. If it had just been sitting in plain view, he still wouldn't have thought twice about it. If that slab of rock had been in a very ordinary position, both Toa would have gone on their way. However, the rock was _not_ in any sort of ordinary position.

In fact, it was _floating_.

Not by itself, however. And Takanuva soon realized that it wasn't the rock that was holding Kopaka's attention. It was the dark green vine that was holding it up to they sky.

The two Toa remained inert, staring at the tentacle-like vine, Takanuva with fascination, Kopaka with a growing sense of danger and…

… was it… fear?

Then he remembered his dream… a creature of massive proportions with hundreds of dark green vines… the same colour as the appendage wavering in the air not ten bios in front of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the snow shift ever-so-slightly. His not-very-often gut-feeling was twisting his stomach, and the vine ahead was still holding the rock up.

Kopaka raised one hand to nudge Takanuva slowly, while he drew out his lances with his other hand. The Toa of Light nodded, overcoming his daze and raised his staff up in a defensive position. The two slowly backed away in unison, one foot at a time, agonizingly slowly.

The Toa of Ice was breathing through his mouth, so as not to alert the vine of their presence… if it hadn't, all ready.

Then, in one swift movement, the vine froze, as did the two Toa. They watched, holding their breaths, not daring to move a muscle. Through his Akaku, Kopaka watched as the rock fell from the vine's constriction, tumbling down to the snow-covered ground.

It hit the ground with a strangely muted thud, just barely audible above the sound of his pumping heart. His head twisted around instinctively, as the snow behind them burst upwards in a column of white, crumbling to fall back down to reveal three vines.

He remained frozen, staring up at the trio of appendages that towered above him, dimly aware of Takanuva's shouts. They seemed to be watching them, watching _him_, for a moment before plunging down at them, giving out what sounded like a hiss. The Toa of Ice didn't move, fear rendering him motionless and helpless before its strike…

… and then he was knocked aside by Takanuva, who had shouldered him out of harm's way at the last second, only to be rewarded with a pummeling for his troubles. He jabbed frantically at the vines around him, but his every strike was dodged and countered.

Kopaka landed partially on his chest, partially on his arm. He grunted as the wind left his stomach, but didn't pause to catch his breath. Instead, he jumped back up and charged back at the vines surrounding Takanuva, pushing his fear to the back of his mind. The vines were slicing through the air far too quickly for them to follow, and Takanuva could do nothing but cut through the air blindly.

Takanuva's eyes darted to Kopaka for a fraction of a second, before going back to the flashes of green before him, darting around him, coming in simultaneously and ducking under his parries while another vine slashed at his exposed back. He cried out, feeling a burning sensation across his shoulder blades, and staggered forward slightly.

Kopaka saw this and jumped towards the vines, and had just brought his lances over his head to attack when he saw the snow to his right explode to reveal another vine surging towards him. His quick mind was all ready calculating, though the vine was quicker and he acted on impulse and brought his legs above his head, lowering his torso down slightly.

It was enough.

The vine brushed past him, so close that he could feel its smoothness, and without stopping to think, he twisted in mid-air to wrap his arms around it, still holding onto his lances. He gritted his teeth and thought against a sudden wave of revulsion. The vine soon realised that it had a Toa hanging on to it and thrashed around violently.

Kopaka hung on tightly, fighting to hold on and against his nausea. His surroundings became white, brown and blue blurs and he couldn't see Takanuva. The vine he was holding seemed to be trembling with rage as it thrashed about. He didn't dare open his mouth in case his stomach decided to give up its contents.

His stomach flipped when the vine suddenly threw itself down… fast. He held his breath and clenched his eyes shut, a second later smashed upon the snowy ground. The vine raised itself into the air but Kopaka refused to let go, instead holding it tighter.

Again, the vine threw itself and the Ice Toa to the ground. Again, Kopaka refused to let go.

Soon, Kopaka was breathing in shallow gasps and wondering if every bone in his body had been broken. If they were, the vine was about to show no mercy. It raised itself high, and for a moment, swayed slightly in the breeze, as if collecting its power.

During the momentary pause, Kopaka cast a glance towards where he thought Takanuva last was and saw that the Toa of Light had managed to cut some ends off. However, he was surrounded by what was probably a dozen appendages, and was slowly being beaten backwards… towards the edge of the ravine.

Then the vine Kopaka was holding onto swung itself down.

Kopaka switched to his Pakari Nuva and then squirmed frantically so that he was crouching on top of the thick vine. He readied his lances, and when a second later the vine hit the ground, he grabbed it and pinned it to the snow, ignoring the lance of pain that shot up his leg, using his Kanohi Mask of Strength, and plunged his lances down at it with his other hand.

With his Mask, he was able to keep it still enough to stab it with his lance. He yanked his blade out as soon as its spasms of death ceased, and staggered upright to look down at it in disgust.

"I hate plants."

* * *

Takanuva inhaled sharply when a vine wrapped itself around his ankles and constricted, throwing the Toa of Light to the snow… hard. He felt rather than heard a slightly muted crack when a thick vine came down on his chest with a solid _thwack!_ The pain of yet another broken-or-fractured rib assaulted him a second later. He clenched his teeth together in pain and pulled himself up into a half-sitting position and hacked at the vine around his feet. 

He heard a screech as the now-considerably shorter vine withdrew and plunged itself under the snow, like the previous four he had shortened.

He swung his staff in a wide arc to ward the others away as he hauled himself upright, doubling over slightly as the searing pain in his chest intensified. Takanuva clutched at his ribs, feeling more pain than he had ever experienced in his life. He gritted his teeth and swung again, feeling the weight of his staff more so than before and as if his feet were weighed down with chains.

Then a vine surged past his tired defenses and struck him square in the face, and felt pain blossom and spread along his jaw. He cried out his pain to the spirits, and was dimly aware that another vine had entwined itself around his ankle and was dangling him in mid-air by one foot. He gritted his teeth and swung his weapon arm at it, only to find that another vine had wrenched it from his lax grip while he had been airborne.

Desperate, he attempted to kick at it with his other foot and immediately regretted it as another wave of pain assailed his senses. A choked scream died in his throat when he realised that he was now hanging over the edge of the ravine he had been unknowingly backed into. He cursed and struggled against the vine, freezing when he was swung about wildly over the gaping chasm.

He swallowed nervously and forced himself to ignore the pain in his body and think of a way out.

The vine was holding him too far out over the gorge to be able to grab at the edge if – _when_ it decided to release him and his staff was several bios away, on a rise of snow. He swore inwardly.

Then he realised that the vine was absolutely still, and all the others, and then he saw Kopaka. The Toa of Ice was slightly crouched and limping slowly closer to the ravine edge. Takanuva's breath came in shallow gasps, and his heart felt like it was straining to break free of his chest.

Soon, Kopaka was right beside his staff, and as he watched, the Ice Toa bent down agonizingly slowly, and gripped its polished handle with his free hand.

There was a hiss, and then everything unraveled before Takanuva's eyes, seemingly fast, but his eyes and senses picked out every detail. He felt the vine loosen around his ankle, the slight jerk as he was lowered slightly, then a sudden feeling of weightlessness as he hung in the air for a nanosecond that stretched beyond years.

Then he fell.

He saw Kopaka leap off one foot, sprinting towards him, lance in one hand, his staff in the other. The vines formed a barrier between the two Toa, and then he could only see the brown of the rocks embedded into the ravine wall.

He yelled out incoherently, and above the roaring in his ears, he could hear a faint screech and a grunt above.

Then a metal pole appeared in front of his face, along with a shout from above, and on impulse he grabbed it with both hands, squeezing it tightly to stop his descent. His hands hit the small hilt of what he realised was his staff, and he found himself staring at the sharp, reflective surface of the blade.

Takanuva exhaled, relieved, and glanced up above to see Kopaka's Akaku, behind it a strained expression of concentration. The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly, and he gazed back at Kopaka with a wry grin.

"Don't mind me," he continued, ignoring the pain overloading his senses, "just hanging out."

Kopaka gave a scornful snort and began hauling him up.

* * *

"Wait…" Takanuva panted, his chest heaving, "Let me rest awhile." 

Kopaka stopped immediately and leaned over slowly so that the former-Chronicler could slide off his arm and onto the snow, immediately coughing and clutching his chest. Kopaka waited until the retching ceased before asking:

"All right?"

The Toa of Light gave a shaky nod, his breathing uneven and shallow. He glanced back at the ravine's edge where the frozen remains of the vines lay. He shuddered, thinking back to his near death escape. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kopaka stiffen, his face a mask of concentration as the lens of his Akaku whirred and clicked.

Takanuva glanced towards where he thought the Toa of Ice was staring at, but could see nothing but more snow.

Then an ominous _crack_ echoed around them.

The two Toa glanced at each other worriedly, then looked back up at the ravine's edge to see that the vines that were previously encased in ice were now free, and heading towards them, the icy remains of their prison crumbling into shards.

They heard a hissing to their left, and turned to see another cluster of vines several kios away. They paused, before diving into the snow. Kopaka focused his attention on where the vines had dived underground and could see the snow being churned up slightly with his Akaku. He cursed inwardly as he tugged Takanuva to his feet.

"C'mon," he grunted, throwing the Toa of Light's arm around his shoulders. Takanuva inhaled sharply but didn't pause to stop. They hurried away, Takanuva helping Kopaka walk and in return was supported by the Ice Toa.

"Where… are we… going?" Takanuva panted, his heart pounding almost painfully against his chest.

Kopaka didn't reply immediately, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other. He jutted his chin out in front of them.

"There," he replied simply.

Takanuva stared at the cave in the glacier wall, not daring to look back. He could hear the incessant hissing behind them, and he couldn't help thinking that a vine would wrap around them at any second. He took a deep breath, and forced the pain to the back of his mind.

Kopaka chanced a glance over their shoulders, to see that the vines were only a few kios away… and soon, they would be upon them.

"Faster," he ground out, and they both picked up their paces. The cave was only ten bios away, but the vines were coming too fast. Kopaka winced as his ankle continued to throb, and he nearly lost his balance. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to walk faster, still supporting his fellow Toa.

Seven bios…

… Six bios…

"We're not… gonna make it," Takanuva gasped, struggling to keep moving.

"We will," Kopaka glanced back. "We have to."

The vines were surging towards them faster than ever, as if sensing that their prey was within reach of escape.

The two Toa forced themselves to move as fast as possible, with their bodies burning in pain and the sound of hissing behind them. The adrenaline rush had left their veins, and exhaustion was settling in. And for Kopaka, his fears were returning as well.

"_Escape is futile…"_

Kopaka started, and jostled Takanuva in the process, nearly knocking him over. The Toa of Light glanced at him, a concerned expression on his face when he saw the Toa of Ice looking…

… Dare he say it?

… Panicked.

"Kopaka!" Takanuva shouted, yanking the Ice Toa back to reality and the battle as the vines caught up to them merely two bios away, rearing up over them in triumph.

"Get inside! _Jump_!"

Kopaka need not have shouted. The words had barely left his mouth when Takanuva was already leaping through the air, diving past the vines and rolling to a stop on the cave floor.

Kopaka winced, knowing that the former-Chronicler was already injured enough. However, he had his hands full.

The vines surrounded him, and before he could draw his lances, two vines latched themselves around his wrists, stopping him from fighting back. Another circled round his chest and two more entwined themselves around his legs. He struggled in vain, writhing and twisting to no avail.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of white, brighter than the sun reflecting off the snow, and the vines wrapped around him disappeared, so too, did his vision. A distorted bellow of pain echoed around his ears. He felt a hand, thankfully not a vine, grab his arm and haul him to his feet.

"Come on!"

A voice laced with desperation and pain came from his right, and suddenly he was flying through the air, and as quickly as he became airborne, he felt the cold, hard ground beneath him, all around him as he rolled end over end. He grunted as his back hit an ice-cold, hard wall and realised that he was in the cave.

He blinked, seeing black stars dotted against a white background, and realised that his vision was returning. He blinked several times and soon could see a fuzzy picture of Takanuva. He shook his head and looked again, as Takanuva dragged him up, yelling.

"Freeze it! Block the entrance!"

Shaking off his disorientation, Kopaka remembered with alarm that the vines were still outside. He hasted to unsheathe a lance and leveled it at the fuzzy image of the cave entrance. Outside, he could make out the blurry forms of the vines, a writhing mass of dark green.

The vines seemed angered, much more aggressive than before. They surged towards the two Toa, hissing and shrieking their fury. Takanuva watched as they reached the cave entrance, hissing madly and ready to speed in…

… only to smash against a thick wall of ice that had materialized at the last moment from Kopaka's lance. The Toa of Ice watched placidly as the vines proceeded to smash themselves repeatedly against the transparent wall, which didn't crack under the strain.

Takanuva watched for a moment with baited breath, and when he realised that the wall of ice wasn't about to break anytime soon, he released the breath he didn't even know he was holding. He stared through the oddly wavy-imaged wall of ice at the vines outside, rearing up and no doubt hissing in anger.

He sighed and flopped down onto the ground, ignoring the cold temperature and the flames of pain spreading across his chest. He glanced over at the Ice Toa, whose normally-stoic features were replaced with an oddly twisted expression as he stared transfixed at the monstrous appendages outside.

Then Takanuva realised with a jolt what Kopaka, the icy, stubborn, cold and calculating Toa was experiencing.

Fear.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, what can I say. I stayed in China for three weeks and come back to be instantly thrust into the vortex we know as high school. However, I accept that it still is my fault for neglecting this story and I apologize to all those readers out there. 

I can't, however, promise that the next chapter will be up in a week, sadly, as homework, assignments and tests are way out of my hands to simply cease and burn.

Toodles!


	4. 3: Games

**The Tendrils of Darkness**

Disclaimer: Guess what! I have GREAT news! Bionicle doesn't belong to me! Let's move on!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Games**

Morning.

Onua squinted and raised a dirt-and-snow-covered hand to his face, shielding his sensitive eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. The light reflecting off the surface of the snow made things all the more worse. He frowned and turned to Lewa, who had been unusually quiet all morning.

"I'm going underground," he rumbled.

The Toa of Air nodded, looking absent-minded. "Sure."

The Earth Toa glanced at his fellow Toa worriedly before digging under the snow to the frozen earth. He paused for a moment, taken aback at how cold it truly was. He shivered before striking his twin quake-breakers forwards and moving along the steadily-lengthening tunnel. As he dug, easily falling into a steady rhythm, he thought back to earlier that morning.

_Pohatu was pacing back and forth along the length of __the spare hut that the Toa were currently residing, gritting his teeth in irritation and concern, while glancing every three seconds at the entrance of the hut or out the window. The sun was rising, ever so slowly, as was visible with the hint of orange tingeing the previously pitch-black sky. Around the room, the remaining Toa were either sitting or standing: Onua, Gali and Tahu._

_The Stone Toa paused and glanced outside the window yet again, and gave a frustrated sigh. He resumed pacing back and forth again. Tahu was tapping his foot impatiently, and despite his custom irritated pose – back stiff and ramrod-straight, tense, and arms crossed – Pohatu could see worry settling into their leader's fiery orbs._

_Onua, however, was leaning against the frozen wall, no doubt oblivious to his slowly numbing back. His green eyes were veiled, although the worried creases adorning his forehead gave an indication of his anxiety._

_Gali, however, sat still, as she stared at the same spot on the floor that had held her attention for the past ten minutes or so. Her golden eyes were unfocused and laced with worry._

_However, their heads all swiveled to face the entrance in unison as though springs had been released in their necks, when a hunched figure__ pushed through the cloth flap. They held their breaths as Lewa straightened, shivering madly and looking not unlike a frozen tree. Gali sprung forwards, and caught Lewa as he collapsed, shivering, against the nearest wall. She supported him as he staggered across the room to a waist-high bench, Pohatu moving forward to help them as they passed._

_The Toa of Air slumped down on the bench and didn't object when Gali placed a hand on his forehead, inspected his goose-bump riddled arms; fingers coloured with an unhealthy-looking blue at the tips with cold, and wrapped a thick blanket around his frame._

_She squeezed his hand. "Feel that?" she asked tersely. Lewa responded with a vague shrug._

"_S-s-sort of," he mumbled._

_Gali bit the inside of her cheek, before she glanced over at Tahu, who was hovering just slightly to her left behind her, his face set in a scowl, but his eyes set with concern. His eyes found hers, and his scowl melted away to be replaced by one of sincere concern._

"_Is anything wrong?" he asked softly._

_Gali shook her head. "Nothing that will last, but he needs to warm up. Can you heat some water for him to drink?"_

_A curt nod and the Toa of Fire was at the table in the corner, pouring some liquid into a halved coconut shell while, no doubt, heating it at the same time. She felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards before she turned back to Lewa._

_Onua watched silently, waiting until the shell was forced into Lewa's hands and the Toa of Air had drunken half the scalding liquid before speaking:_

"_Did you find them? Any sign?"_

_Lewa looked up, his normally cheerful eyes forlorn. He shook his head slowly, before downing the rest of the water in one gulp. He set it down on the bench-top beside him with a dull 'clunk'._

"_I flew around Ko-Wahi, circling the village, but I couldn't see anything. No tracks. They would've been covered up by that earlier blizzard, though. I'm sorry."_

_Gali squeezed his hand reassuringly and Pohatu rested his hand on Lewa's shoulder._

"_Don't be," Tahu's gruff voice spoke up at last. "You did well. I wasn't expecting Kopaka and Takanuva to be out in plain sight, anyway. Not at this time of night. We'll continue searching tomorrow, on foot."_

_Onua peered out the window thoughtfully, apparently in deep thought… as usual. He turned to face everyone, making sure everyone was in his field of vision._

'_That's just like him,' Lewa thought with a half-grin, 'to include everyone and make sure that no-one feels left out.'_

"_If they've been gone for so long, that could only mean three things: one, they've gotten lost, although that is highly unlikely, considering Kopaka with his mask and knowledge of Ko-Wahi. Two, they were somehow injured and could go no further so they sheltered in a cave or something, meaning we will have to search for them tomorrow. Three, they were attacked by whatever attacked Kopaka the other day and are being held in captivity."_

_Silence, before Pohatu spoke to alleviate the tension._

"_Personally, I prefer option one," he joked with a weak smile._

Onua was wrenched from his daydream when a piercing scream echoed around Ko-Wahi, and reverberating along the tunnel he had dug. He glanced up, alarmed, and switching to his Akaku, gazed past rock and snow to see Gali, fending off what looked like a dozen tentacles.

His heart leapt, and at the same moment, so did his weapons. His quake-breakers struck and surged through the few metres of rock between him and the world above. He leapt up and hasted to secure a grip on the snow-covered edges. He tightened his grip and pulled himself up, sending a shower of snow down into the tunnel.

Blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden brightness, he was able to see the slightly blurred blue figure of his sister in the distance. He threw caution to the wind and, switching and activating his Kanohi Kakama, ran as fast as the mask would allow.

_Hold on, Gali,_ he thought desperately.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Toa of Water in question was barely thinking, her actions deriving from pure instinct and years of combat experience keeping her on her feet. The vines were attacking viciously, and it was all she could do to block them, let alone manage a counter-attack of her own. 

Left, right, left, right, up, behind, left, below, the attacks came, with the Toa either blocking or dodging. A vine slipped under her defenses and whipped its length into Gali's abdomen. A choked gasp died in her throat and she staggered back a few bios, acutely aware that another vine had just missed her head, surging through the air from her left.

She ducked and rolled forward, not stopping to give another thought to her undoubtedly bruised abdomen. With a kick at the vine tailing her, she leapt off one foot to bring down an aqua axe upon another thick appendage right in front of her. A twisted howl reached her mind, but she shrugged it off, bringing her focus on the battle at hand.

The Toa of Water ducked under a wide sweep and brought up both axes to stop the two separate vines, barely half a bio from her face. She pushed with all her might, and started forward to feel something smooth graze across her back, so quickly that she felt a moment of a burning pain, following the path of the vine that had grazed its tip along her back.

The pain wasn't intense, but it was enough to catch the Toa off guard for a second.

That second was enough for a vine to swing itself lengthwise into the side of the Toa's head, sending the blue figure of Gali flying through the air, her aqua axes leaving her lax grips.

_Ouch..._ A second later, she was forced to roll to the side, as a vine soon impacted into the snow, leaving a fairly deep impression in the snow. Gali unintentionally winced, glad that she hadn't been trapped under that.

Another vine came in, fast and right at her face. The Toa waited until the tip of the vine was barely a fraction of a bio away before using her hands to fend it off, striking it with the heel of her palm and using quick jabs to ward away its advances. However, the vine seemed to recoil slightly before diving in for another attack. This time, however, as Gali raised a hand, the vine was quick to change its approach and before the Toa could blink, it had coiled itself around her wrist.

_What the..._ but before she could complete the thought, the vine tightened and snapped her wrist, eliciting a _crack_ of breaking bones and a cry of pain from the Toa Nuva of Water. The vine, however, didn't stop there.

With one strong tug, the Water Toa was dangling in mid-air, being held up only by the vine around her broken wrist. A sharp gasp of pain left her, but she fought against the appendage otherwise.

"Gali!"

Distracted, the Toa twisted to find the source of the shout and the sight of Onua charging the vines, his quake-breakers in hand and a look of grim determination on his face almost made her smile.

Then the vine hissed, and a trio of vines caught Onua in mid-stride, on in the abdomen, another against his head and the last crashed into the back of his legs, causing him to execute an awkward-looking flip, only to fall back down when he was parallel to the ground with a muffled thump.

Gali stared, horrified. She snapped out of her stupor and sighed in relief when the Toa of Earth shifted and then struggled to hold himself up with his arms, but it soon turned to dread when Onua slumped back down again, and did not move.

"Brother!" Gali shouted, straining to free herself from the vine. It merely hissed in response, although it sounded strangely satisfied. She was too distracted to realise that the hissing had resounded in her mind, not her ears.

The vines the started plunging into the snow, one by one, and too late Gali realised its intentions until the vine holding her up slowly sank into the snow, seeming to relish her fear and horror.

"No! ONUA!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears, and the Toa of Water was helpless in the grip of the vine. Her screams were lost as the vine dragged her under the snow, until the only remains of the battle were spatters of black blood-like substance against the white snow, an unmoving Toa and a pair of aqua axes.

* * *

Pohatu stared at the hills of snow around him dully, his lips set in a thin line. 

"Okay, I get it!" he snapped, "you don't like me, and I sure don't like you!" He knew it was illogical, as Gali would say, to be talking to snow, but he was _not_ having the time of his life, and having a headache from being surrounded by blinding snow north, south, east and west was most certainly _not_ helping his aggravation.

He growled, and shortly thereafter, tripped in the deep, powdery snow and fell flat on his face. He jerked his face up and spat the snow that had ended up in his mouth out, and had rubbed his face clean of snow when two pairs of feet appeared in front of his face.

"Need a hand, yeti-man?"

Pohatu gaped, uncomprehendingly, at the two beings in front of him.

"Kopaka? Taka?"

Takanuva nodded vigorously, despite the fact that the entire left side of his jaw had taken on a most interesting blend of blue and purple, a wide grin coming to his face easily as he offered a hand to the Toa of Stone.

"In the flesh!"

"But …. How … you two …" he spluttered, hoisting himself to his feet with the aid of Takanuva, who noticeably winced.

"Yes?" Kopaka spoke sarcastically, "Go on…"

Pohatu drew in a deep breath. "_WHERE_ IN THE NAME OF MATA NUI HAVE YOU TWO _BEEN_?"

"Out," Kopaka responded curtly.

"And about," Takanuva finished, his eyes dancing with mirth.

Pohatu peered at them suspiciously, noticing the uncharacteristic friendliness between the two. His orange eyes took in the fact that Kopaka was limping, and both were half-supporting each other. Takanuva was holding a hand to his torso, with Kopaka's arm under his arms. With a disgruntled sigh, he stepped forward and offered a fist in greeting, attempting to look annoyed but failing miserably.

The two clanked their own fists in return, a wide grin on Takanuva's face and the same calculating expression on Kopaka's.

"Well, come on,' he rolled his eyes and gestured for them to follow, "We can talk later." He glared at them, daring them to argue.

They didn't.

Pohatu sighed and moved forward to help support Takanuva up, seeing as he was the more injured of the two, not to mention that Kopaka would probably push his help away.

"Ready?" he asked gently. He received two nods of affirmation. "Then let's go."

They set off slowly, in the general direction of the Toa's rendezvous point.

* * *

"C'mon, Lewa, we're nearly there." 

"Wait-stop for a moment," the green Toa panted, his eyes pained. He doubled-over for a moment; hand pressed firmly against his bloody lower-torso, as several dry coughs wracked his battered body.

Tahu waited, hovering beside Lewa worriedly. He glanced up, seeing the sun high above them, which indicated that it was well past midday. His eyes swiveled back to the bent figure of the Toa of Air, drops of blood adorning the snow. He looked away and took several deep, calming breaths.

The creature that had ambushed them earlier, or rather, Tahu, had been hiding in the snow, and only revealed its vines. Lewa had come to his aid, and the vine that had struck his side had been strong enough to create a gash. That or it was carrying an invisible weapon, as the Toa of Air had joked feebly, although he had soon turned serious, and explained that he felt as if the several vines that had attacked them had only been a portion of what the creature was. He shivered, thinking of a creature that could be so large in proportion and deadly enough to not need a weapon.

_The best weapon is the mind,_ he reminded himself, then frowned. For a creature – a _plant_, no less – to be able to get past their Toa Nuva armour and cause a wound without the use of claws or teeth was …

… unnatural.

What was worse, seeing the Toa of Air, the most cheerful and active Toa of Mata Nui so vulnerable left a gaping hole in his heart, a hole of guilt, fear, worry and misery blended into a black vortex of swirling emotions. A hand clutched at his arm weakly, trembling slightly, and he was pulled out of his thoughts.

Lewa smiled thinly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. There was a smudge of bright-red blood on the hand, but the green Toa spoke before he could string a coherent sentence together.

"I'm fine," he assured him, "let's keep going."

Tahu bit back a sardonic retort, the grimace behind Lewa's mask capturing his attention. He realised, with sudden clarity, that for the Toa of Air, normally so happy, to be in this current state was hurting Lewa. He sighed, and, pounding down his pride, offered to help, to which Lewa declined, a surprised expression behind his mask.

They walked on in silence, both deep in thought.

"I'm sorry," Lewa murmured, not once slowing or stopping his pace.

Tahu gave him a fleeting glance. "What for?" he grunted.

"For … for back then," he replied, eyes downcast. "When that plant attacked us, I got in the way and …" he trailed off, not needing to say what they both knew could've happened.

"_Lewa!" Tahu cried out, as the Toa of Air was knocked out of the sky. The vines were ruthless, giving the two no mercy. Tahu growled, his temper rising as the vines refocused on him, hissing madly._

_He raised one of his magma swords skyward, parrying a vine while jabbing with his other sword at a passing vine. His blow glanced off the surface of the vine, but despite the blood gushing out of the deep cut, the vine whipped itself at the Toa, only to be severed cleanly from the weapon that had been previously occupied with holding off the other vine._

_Tahu jumped forward, rolling through a gap between the vines and kicking a vine in the process. He stopped near Lewa, whom had staggered upright._

"_Fire-brother! Get behind me!" he yelled, bringing his Katanas up simultaneously. Tahu did as he was told, and watched as the Toa of Air channeled his elemental power through his weapons to create a __strong jet of wind. The snow in front of them was blasted skyward at the vines, obscuring the thrashing appendages._

_The vines screeched, fighting against the wind and snow in an attempt to attack the two Toa, only to find themselves being held at bay. No matter which direction they went in, the snow and wind would be there, battering them back several bios._

_Tahu appreciated the Air Toa's quick thinking, although he could see a worrisome flaw in the plan. If even one vine could fight past the mini-blizzard, they could strike at the Toa of Air and halt his elemental blast, effectively allowing the several other vines to resume assaulting them again._

_His presumption was proved correct when a vine surged through and struck Lewa in the side, eliciting a sharp intake of air as blood burst out of the wound, past the undoubtedly strong but not strong enough armour. The Toa of Air stumbled back, right into Tahu, and the impact was enough to send the Toa of Fire staggering back several feet._

_Just as he regained his balance, the powdery snow beneath him seemed to tremble, and then gave out underneath his weight, revealing a gaping crevasse undoubtedly as deep as several thousand kios. Tahu uttered a cry of shock; his instincts kicked in again and he pushed Lewa away, releasing the Toa of Air from his grip._

_Said Toa rolled away from the crevasse, and Tahu melted the snow covering the edge of the steep descent. He saw the brown of the rock and grasped it, dangling from the edge precariously. He swallowed, then tightened his grip, as he struggled to pull himself up._

"_Fire-brother!" Lewa appeared above him suddenly, one hand reaching down to grasp his wrist tightly, the other gripping the katana that had been plunged past snow, into rock, to anchor the Air Toa in place. He pulled with all his might, and Tahu was suddenly flying over him, landing heavily on the powdery snow._

_The rapid beating of his heart slowed down, the fear and panic had vanished, but the vines had not. A vine darted towards them, only for Tahu to kick at it, slamming the sole of his foot against the tip, bringing forth a hissing screech of fury and pain._

_Despite that, the vine continued to attack, this time swerving under the Fire Toa's persistent defenses to coil itself around Lewa's neck, tightening with every passing second. The Toa's eyes widened, and he choked, his fingers scrabbling at his neck to loosen the appendage._

_Tahu spun and clutched at the vine, attempting vainly to free the Toa of Air. He pulled, as Lewa collapsed, his lungs aching for air. The Toa of Fire released the vine and hauled the other Toa up; if only to spur him on to keep fighting. The vine stubbornly refused to move, hissing madly as they tugged on it._

_Tahu cursed, and seeing the other vines speeding towards them, promptly dropped the Toa of Air as quickly and as gently as possible, snatched his magma swords up from where he had dropped them to catch Lewa safely and directed both tips at the vines._

_The vines were barely a fraction of a bio away when a burst of flames from his swords efficiently brought the onslaught to a halt; screeches of pain rising in volume as Tahu rapidly increased the heat. The vines were soon ablaze with the consuming fire, blackening and shrivelling before their very eyes as the flames engulfed each and every appendage._

_Then Tahu focused his attention on the vine constricting the Toa of Air's throat, hissing at him, as if daring him to try._

'_Go on,' a voice taunted him mentally, 'just try it … I won't let go, and you'll have to watch your own flames burn your friend to death.' _

'_Unless …' Tahu suddenly received a distinct impression of malicious intent. 'You'd prefer him to die of strangulation.'_

_Mocking, hissing laughter reverberated off the walls of his mind. 'Which will it be, Toa? Death by an enemy? Or death by a friend... a trusted team-mate?'_

_Tahu growled, abruptly dropped one of his swords and grasped the offending vine in one hand, his grip as strong as a Muaka's, his anger fuelling the burning heat and channelling it through the hand. A cry of pain erupted in the complexities of his mind, and Tahu only strengthened his grip, the heat erupting into flames that danced around his hand… but didn't spread along either sides of the vine._

_It writhed madly, and before long, the intensity of the heat cutting cleanly through the vine. Tahu smirked triumphantly, and brought his swords up once again to spurt out flames of extreme heat, consuming each vine, including the appendage previously coiled around the Toa of Air's neck._

_Before long, the intense heat drove the vines into retreat, diving into the snow one-by-one, which was admittedly difficult as the heat from the flames had all but melted a wide radius of snow into nothing short of a hot-water spring, the water slowly cascading down into the crevasse barely two bios behind them._

_Lewa coughed, and muttered a weak "thanks"._

Tahu sighed, and, grabbing Lewa gently by both shoulders, turned him around so that they could look each other in the eye.

"Lewa," he began gruffly, yet firmly, "you have nothing, absolutely _nothing_, to be sorry for, especially not for back then." Tahu kept his hands on the Toa of Air's shoulders to emphasise his sincerity.

"In fact, if you had _not_ been there, I would undoubtedly be _dead_." The Toa of Fire fixed a stern expression on his face. "So you should not be sorry. _At all_," he finished, adding the last part in before the Toa of Air could get a protest in.

Tahu dropped his hands and smiled, "I'm grateful, and in your debt."

Lewa smiled, and the smile grew into a wide, beaming grin. Tahu, surprised by the sudden change in emotions, gave a tentative smile in return.

"Never thought-knew that you're a great speaker, brother," he quipped mischievously. Tahu grinned, before he adopted a mock-stern expression, crossing his arms and staring down at the Toa of Air.

"I'll have you know, I can be quite sentimental when need be," he sniffed arrogantly. Then his eyes widened and a panicked expression stole over his face. "Just don't tell anyone," he muttered, looking around wildly.

Lewa struggled to keep his neutral face on, snickering madly inside. "I wouldn't dream of it," he managed to choke out.

Tahu turned back around. "Come on, then," he gestured impatiently, "and not another word of uselessness, okay?" he ordered, a fierce glint in his eyes. Lewa nodded reassuringly, and the two resumed walking, slowly, with Tahu right beside the Toa of Air in case he was needed.

They walked in silence, before Lewa abruptly stopped, his face pale and eyes wide.

"Tahu," he spoke quietly, "is that who I think it is?"

The Fire Toa looked to where his fellow Toa was indicating to, and blanched. "No…" he breathed, a wild glint in his eyes.

In unison, the two ran towards the scene laid out bare before them; black splotches, and…

"ONUA!" Lewa bellowed, completely ignorant of the wound in his side, lengthening his strides and finally collapsing to his knees beside the inert body of the Toa Nuva of Earth. His mind blankly registered the fact that his hands were shaking uncontrollably as he rolled the Earth Toa over onto his back.

"No, no, please… don't be… please…" he frantically brushed the snow off Onua's neck, and forced his hand to still as he pressed two fingers gently against the side of his neck, searching for a pulse.

He sighed, immensely relieved, when a steady, albeit slightly weaker than normal pulse beat against his fingers. He felt the blood return to his face and his thoughts cleared, suddenly feeling foolish for not checking the Toa of Earth's heartlight, which still pulsed steadily and brightly. Before his elation could rise any further, Tahu placed a hand on his arm.

"Lewa," he whispered.

Lewa watched as Tahu slowly dipped a finger into a splotch of black, gleaming substance and out, as a drop hung from the very tip, and fell. He swallowed, and raised his head to meet the Toa of Fire's eyes.

"Blood," he managed to utter.

Tahu nodded grimly. "But whose?" he wondered, "or _what_?"

A shout reached their ears and their heads snapped up immediately, recognising the voice as Pohatu. They saw him, walking slowly down a small hill, supporting two other Toa: Kopaka and Takanuva.

They could see the grins on both Pohatu's and Takanuva's faces, the usual calculating look on Kopaka's, fade away as they took in the scene before them. The three were instantly beside them, Pohatu having no doubt activated his Kanohi mask.

"Is he alright?" he asked worriedly.

Tahu nodded. "Just unconscious," he replied. He saw a flash of relief appear in Kopaka's blue eyes, only to disappear in a blink. He saw the same on Takanuva's, accompanied by the still-present concern, and Tahu beat down his animosity towards the Toa of Light, knowing that they had more urgent matters to deal with.

Kopaka spoke up suddenly, his voice cutting through the stillness in the air sharply:

"Where's Gali?"

The other four Toa glanced up quickly as well: Gali was no where to be seen. Except for…

"Her axes," Takanuva breathed, eyes wide. "But then… what happened?"

A groan from in between Tahu and Lewa caught everyone's attention. Onua coughed weakly as he squinted up at the five surrounding him.

"Gone," he whispered hoarsely, eyes brimming with anger, frustration, helplessness, and guilt. Tahu felt his heart leap into his throat, making it difficult for him to form a sentence.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, almost dreading the answer.

Onua groaned again, his head falling back down as his eyes closed. "The… vines… that _blasted __plant_ took her… under."

"Under? So it took her under the snow?" Pohatu caught on, "you mean, she might not be… dead?"

"One can only hope…" the Toa of Earth mumbled before slipping back into a blissful oblivion. The remaining Toa looked at each other uneasily, before they set off back to Ko-Koro.

_Mission accomplished,_ Tahu thought, somewhat bitterly, as he trudged along the bridge to the village, with Onua slung over one shoulder. They had found Kopaka and Takanuva, wounded, but alive thankfully. Sweeping his eyes over his team, he noted that only he and Pohatu had come out relatively unscathed. And with Gali missing, that brought their total number to six, even less, if the injuries the other Toa had received were as bad as they looked.

_Mission accomplished,_ he repeated, just to reassure himself. _But at what cost?

* * *

_

Meanwhile, several kios below ground, a colossal cavern could be found. Inside, two entities resided, one of which was currently dragging the limp, battered and bloodied body of the protector of Ga-Koro. The vines coiled around her ankles did nothing to prevent the Toa of Water from receiving ragged cuts from the rocks and pieces of debris from the imploded doors.

"Well?" a baritone, silky voice cut through the still air, halting the vines in their paths. Each appendage lowered themselves to the uneven ground, bowing before the figure that loomed over it.

"_The Toa are weak,"_ a new voice hissed, _"they could do nothing to help each other, let alone themselves, the incompetent fools."_

The figure stepped out from the shadows' embraces, and raised a brow sceptically.

"Oh? So confident, are we?" Makuta glared at the vines before him, his red eyes glowing with infinite contempt, "let us not forget that those '_incompetent fools_' were the cause of my defeat and my brother's freedom!"

"_Apologies, Makuta, I was merely inclined to think so due to the fact that three of the Toa have sustained injuries and another is currently in our captivity."_

Makuta stepped back. "Of course," he paused. "And what of the Toa of Light?"

"_The worst among the wounded."_

Makuta chuckled maliciously, "excellent."

He then stared down at the immobile figure, the blood-red smudges contrasting to the light blue body of the Toa of Water. He tapped his slender, bony fingers against the side of his face thoughtfully.

"Now, what to do with Gali Nuva, Toa and protector of Ga-Koro?" he pondered aloud, his eyes never leaving the motionless figure. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly before he abruptly spun around and left, not once looking back. He gave one last instruction before exiting the chamber:

"Break her, and then see if you can persuade her into joining us."

A gleeful hiss sounded in his mind. _"Gladly."_

Now alone, the vines twisted and writhed freely around the Toa, gently prodding the body before darting away, running their tips down her mask gently, before one appendage darted forwards and coiled around her broken wrist and jerked it wildly, wrenching a pained scream from the previously unconscious Toa.

Gali gasped, and instinctively scrambled away from the vines that towered above her menacingly. Her back met a solid resistance and she lurched forward, twisting her head around as she did so. There were at least another two dozen vines, and all of them twisted and acted as a single mind.

_But there's no such creature on Mata Nui or in any legends of vines!_ But that didn't necessarily mean that it didn't exist. Something that Gali wished wasn't true. She held her broken wrist as loosely as possible, careful not to jerk it around. With her good hand, she reached behind her back to grab an axe but found that it wasn't there… neither axes were strapped to her back.

_Oh, great._ She thought, glaring at the vines. _Wonderful. Of all the times to not have my axes, it just had to be now_ She gingerly climbed to her feet, settling into a defensive stance immediately. The Toa of Water nearly jumped when a new, hissing voice resounded in her mind.

"_So, my deary, did you have a nice nap?"_ A hissing laughter, and it only served to agitate her further.

"What do you want?" she demanded, refusing to let her fear show.

"_Want?"_ The laughter turned malevolent, a sound that made Gali shudder. _"I want… fun."_

_Depends on your definition of fun_, Gali thought sardonically.

"_Now, now, little Toa, we both know that our ideas of fun are a little… different, but I'm sure that we'll be able to manage a game or two on our own…"_

Gali almost gasped in surprise when she realised the... thing could read her thoughts, and backed away before remembering that she was surrounded and stopped, not liking the voice which had suddenly taken on a sadistic edge. The vines suddenly slithered in closer, clustering together around her. She swallowed and then inhaled deeply, forcing herself not to show her fear.

"Who - _what_ are you?" she demanded, a chill running down her spine.

There was a momentary pause, one that Gali hadn't expected, before she received the distinct impression of a sneer.

_"I? I am... the Morbuzahk."_

She shuddered, revulsion rising in her throat. Sadistic laughter rang in her mind, before the vines drew in even closer, their movements swift and eager.

_"Let the games begin..."_

No-one was around to hear her tortured screams.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. Holidays arrived about two weeks ago, but motivation was lacking. Luckily, my writer's block left about three days ago, and I got this done. Hope it's enough. 

See you in the next chapter! (Which should hopefully be next week)


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